Welcome to Coldwater River NWR

Credit: USFWS

The Coldwater National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Mississippi, 4 ½ miles south of the town of Crowder. Established in 2000, this small refuge consists of 2,069 acres within an acquisition boundary of 16,000 acres. The centerpiece of the refuge is 25 old catfish ponds ranging in size from 9 to 21 acres and totaling 495 acres. These ponds are intensively managed for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. A majority of the refuge has been reforested in native bottomland hardwood species. Almost the entire refuge is flooded annually during the winter/spring by the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers. Up to 50,000 migratory waterfowl winter on the refuge and 34 species of shorebirds have been recorded during spring and fall migration. Peregrine falcon, least tern, black tern, bald and golden eagles, and wood stork have been observed. Due to intensive management, the refuge is critically important as a sanctuary for waterfowl and other neotropical migratory birds. Primarily for these reasons, the refuge is closed to public access.

Hunting and Fishing Permits North Mississippi NWR(Dahomey, Tallahatchie and Coldwater River NWRs)

Hunting and fishing permits for the North Mississippi NWR Complex (Dahomey, Tallahatchie and Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuges) are now available for purchase through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks website and any commercial vendor that sells State licenses such as WalMart and other sporting goods stores. The permit costs $15 plus a small processing fee. To purchase a permit online, visit the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks website at https://www.ms.gov/mdwfp/hunting_fishing and select North MS NWR Permit (Code 606).

Getting There . . .

From State Highway 335, turn west on Paducah Wells road and continue west to the Corps of Engineers Panola-Quitman Flood Control Levee. Turn right, north, on the levee for 2 ½ miles and the refuge southern boundary will be on the left. The refuge continues north for an additional 2 ½ miles. Public roads exist along the northern and western refuge boundary. An alternative route to the northern refuge boundary is to drive 4 ½ miles south on a public gravel road from the town of Crowder. Note that it is not unusual for portions of the Paducah Wells road, the road along the north and western boundary and the road south from Crowder to be closed due to flooding.